It's time to cut the NFL out of making decisions about the Edward Jones Dome. The NFL is a private business that has been heavily subsidized by the public so that millionaires and billionaires can make lucrative money off the fans while the taxpayers take the big financial risks and pay the big costs. Under this plan we, the public, in return get served with extortion in the form of threats that if the subsidies don't continue with contracts heavily favoring the team owners and we constantly improve the stadiums then they, the NFL team owners, will take their teams elsewhere. Rather than continuing this losing situation for the St Louis public and fans, let's copy how the Green Bay Packers are run and just organize a public corporation for the purpose of buying the team, and sell the shares to those who are the fans first and area residents second. Then the people who buy the tickets and attend the games decide what level of stadium they want their team to play in. Those who aren't interested, or those who couldn't afford to attend games, aren't subsidizing through taxes something they don't care about and don't use. Making money for the sake of getting fabulously richer wouldn't be the goal of owning the team. So let's see if the Green Bay Packers model can be put to work here in St Louis. If we can't buy the Rams, then we should wait to buy another team, and once that's done let the Rams go. Then we'll have a team we really can call our own.

David Bartholomew

St. Louis County